It’s not often you get to peek inside the publishing industry and read a manuscript before major overhauling. The original scroll for On The Road, for example, is more rambling, explicit and lacking in punctuation than it’s fully published counterpart – but follows much of the same beats (no pun intended.) Go Set A Watchman is a whole other beast. The story is now a familiar one to anyone who has glimpsed at a newspaper in the last few months; a manuscript delivered in the […]
Filled with unsettling thoughts but ultimately life-affirming, this is a strange and quirky novel about love, delusions and dependency from a unique voice.
Miranda July is a defiantly ‘indie’ director. Her films are filled with odd juxtapositions and unusual dialogue, soundtracked by circuit-bent 80’s synths and filled with whimsical ideas. Following a unique collection of short stories, The First Bad Man is her debut novel, and one that lives up to her distinctive sensibilities. Cheryl is a neurotic middle-aged woman who lives by herself. She lives a quiet and rigid life with everything in its right place, and tries to avoid doing anything as it leaves less of […]
A dense and elaborate historical novel about fading beauty, peppered with intriguing anachronisms.
Sir Kenelm Digby and Venetia Stanley were one of the most spoken-about couples of the 17th century. Sir Kenelm was a scientist, an alchemist and an adventurer, while his wife was known as the most beautiful woman at court. Copies of her portrait were passed about and her radiance was known for miles around, which has turned her from a witty young woman into a self-obsessed and beauty-hungry lady. Looking for ways to keep her beauty, Venetia starts to visit an apothecary who concocts a […]
A dark and witty novel about teenage alienation, strained relationships and the allure of the outlaw life.
Piracy used to conjure up visions of rabid men roaming the dark seas, festooned with tattoos and covered in facial hair. Now it’s more likely to bring up images of overweight young men sitting in basements in front of glowing computer screens. From Blackbeard to Neckbeard, if you will. Lemony Snicket author Daniel Handler throws the older, vicious idea of the roving corsair into the modern day in this strange look at teenage angst and the life of an outsider. 14-year-old Gwen is angry. Angry […]
Kazuo Ishiguro reinvents himself again with this lyrical and moving novel about love, memories and society, all while skirting around the edge of fantasy.
I hardly need to say this, but a new Ishiguro novel is a huge deal. It’s been over ten years since his last novel, with only a brilliant collection of short stories in-between to tide us over. The Buried Giant is set some time after the death of the great King Arthur, in the midst of the dark ages, and this strange cultural gap allows him to play with reality and legend in a fluid way. There is a peace of sorts between the two […]